Freedom to Change - 1461 Words

Linguistic innovation is a crucial component in Hip-Hop or Rap music and in everyday life. As Curzan and Adams mention in How English Works, there are an infinite number of possible utterances one can create from the English language. Therefore, who determines what is acceptable and what is not? Over the centuries, language has changed because of different influences. For example, Hip-Hop and Rap music emerged when African Americans used it as an expression of their struggle against oppression and economic limitations. These changes may be acceptable in some circles, but are frowned upon by the society that judges a person by the way they speak. We the people change the English language and no authority can control those changes. The use†¦show more content†¦One might argue that this cannot be acceptable, perhaps for now—soon this word too will become of the vernacular of the majority. The use of creative utterances encompasses most of Jay-Z and Kanyes’ lyrics. They refer to the car as a â€Å"whip† (56). There appears to be an association with a fast whipping action and the car alluding that the car is also fast. A common utterance appears in line 59, â€Å"I’m about to kill it,† an expression that is used by many people. This phrase translates to be great at something and excel. One understands that he means this rather than actually about to murder something. People often say to wish them luck by expressing, â€Å"hope you kill it,† or â€Å"knock them dead.† This example is full of evidence f how language has changed and is changing every day. Lupe Fiascos shows how powerful language and language choice can be in his song, Dumb it Down. He begins a very lyrically poetic verse, explaining how he is unable to hear, or see what is going on. Lupe is describing how the use of ‘intellectual† language is not preferred by the Rap music industry. This shows how language controls the perception of many people. Lupe is attempting to expose how people define people by the way they speak. In How English Works, the power of language is focused on, â€Å"Words have the power to hurtShow MoreRelatedSocial Change And Freedom Of Expression1973 Words   |  8 PagesIt is clear that the 1920s were years of social change and freedom of expression, mainly for women who had for so long endured the oppressive social injustice of not legally being able to vote or even make their own legal or financial decisions in their marriages. However, while the causations for this may be numerous, and social change was already an imperative on t he horizon for Britain and the rest of the world, the ways in which women actively volunteered to participate in helping out their countryRead MoreExploring Freedom, Destruction And Change And The Sublime1190 Words   |  5 Pages Exploring Freedom, Destruction and Change and the Sublime in Byron and Shelley In his work A Philosophical Inquiry into the Origins of Our Feelings of the Sublime and Beautiful, philosopher Edmund Burke â€Å"whatever is fitted in any sort to excite the ideas of pain and danger, that is to say, whatever is in any sort terrible, or is conversant about terrible objects, or operates in a manner analogous to terror, is a source of the sublime (Burke, 86). 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Thus, Article 18 of the UDHR reads â€Å"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and inRead MoreSummer Freedom Changes For Football Season And Standardized Tests1826 Words   |  8 Pages And Now It’s Time for a Celebration of Learning Summer freedom changes to football season and standardized tests for students as they return to school. Back-to-school shopping has barely ended when most students start taking their first big tests, such as the SAT. Friday night hype and school pride fades into a tired Saturday morning in school where it is the student with her bubble sheet and booklet, twenty other kids, and that one guy who will not stop coughing. Tests like the SAT are believedRead MoreThe Change of the Rights and Freedoms of Australian Women over the Past 100 Years1015 Words   |  5 PagesThe Change of The Rights and Freedoms of Australian Women Over The Past 100 Years The progression of the rights and freedoms of women has changed drastically over the past 100 years. Women have felt the need to stand up for their rights and change the traditional stereotype of women from, weak and unambitious to strong and determined beings. There were two main time periods where their rights were recognized throughout Australia. The first took place in the early 20th century, where women ralliedRead MoreTranshumanism Essay example918 Words   |  4 PagesMorphological Freedom: A Refutation to the Benefits of Transhumanism and Physical Disabilities Transhumanism is a word that describes anything which favors the development of innovative technologies for the improvement of human health, both physical and mental. Throughout the past decade, this movement of transhumanism has started to take course throughout the world. Biotechnologies are one subset of the transhumanist movement that have consistently shown great promise to benefit society as a wholeRead MoreEssay on The Faces Of Freedom1296 Words   |  6 PagesThe Faces Of Freedom How does one define freedom? The OED gives about a dozen useful definitions that each pertain to one of a variety of the aspects of the human state. One referred specifically to the political freedoms of an individual: â€Å"Exemption from arbitrary, despotic, or autocratic control; independence; civil liberty† (def. 2). Another definition concerned the spiritual freedom found in Christianity: â€Å"fig. Liberation from the bondage of sin† (def. 1.b). There was another that definedRead MoreThe American Concept Of Freedom1357 Words   |  6 Pagesconcept of freedom is a constant source of debate. There is a difference in perspective, in expectation, in allowable expression of said freedoms within the confines of a mutually agreed upon societal contract as defined by legislation. The extremes define boundaries set by anarchy with total freedom and gulag like conditions with no freedom. Following the Civil War, during Reconstruction, the perspective of a share cropper may well have been that there was little to the idea of American freedom. GenderRead MoreAcademic Freedom And Its Impact On Education1461 Words   |  6 PagesAcademic freedom is the independence of faculty and students to teach, study, and pursue information and research without irrational constraint from the law and institutional policy. Key areas include the freedom for professors to seek information on subjects that peek their intellectual interest and present their findings to colleagues, students, and publications without restrictions. Academic freedom allows faculty to choose their teaching style as long as it is deemed professionally appropriate